Healthy Homemade Marinara

Sorry I've been gone for awhile! I've been doing a lot of behind the scenes work on the blog that has kept me super busy! I can't wait to share it all with y'all soon! 

But I return to you with something amazing!  Lately, as I read labels at the grocery store, I feel like I'm just settling for the best option.  After looking to the internet, I've realized that making your own sauces/dressings is easy, quick, and healthier because you know exactly what is in it!  

I've made a lot of different dressings lately, but tonight I was craving Italian.  I wanted spaghetti!  Unfortunately, I can't even have whole wheat noodles, but I don't miss them.  Like I've said a hundred times before, zucchini noodles are just as good and more filling!  

However, after browsing the marinara selection at Kroger, I was disappointed there were no truly sugar free options.  So I set out to make my own.  At dinner, the husband raved about it, so I know I did something right :)  I went ahead and made a big pot so we could freeze some for later, and use some for leftovers tomorrow night.  But, this recipe could easily be halved. Enjoy!

Homemade Marinara

2  28oz cans Hunts Crushed Tomatoes

3 tsps minced garlic, divided

1/2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp oregano or Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp garlic powder 

4 tbsp fresh basil

1/4 tsp Kosher salt

1/4 tsp Pepper

Olive oil

Bring a pot to medium heat with a small amount of olive oil in the bottom.  Once it's warm, sauté 2 tsps garlic until light brown and fragrant.  Stir in crushed tomatoes.  Bring to a simmer and stir in onion powder, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Once it has simmered for 20 minutes, stir in remaining garlic and fresh basil. Enjoy!

pesto zoodles with shrimp

Last tennis season, I brought my bag inside.  It's a rather large bag, and the boys I coach had stuffed it full of tennis balls one day.  (Funny aren't they?)  Unfortunately for the boys, Hazel destroyed a few tennis balls that night.  She sniffed them out and pulled about 15 balls out.  She then scattered them across the house.  A couple of them became hers, and the rest were hidden in my car.  The only problem with Hazel's love of tennis balls is that, she also loves to push them under the couch.  I needed a solution that wasn't getting under the couch with a yard stick every 10 minutes.

Today I went out with one mission, find a giant tennis ball. I was successful! Hazel loves her new toy, and best of all, it can't roll under the couch!  One of the best things about Hazel is that she can play by herself.  She doesn't need me or the hubs to help entertain her.  She will even toss the ball herself, and go get it!  We love this little bundle of joy!

Now on to the yummy stuff!  Today, I'm linking up with Recipe Sharing Monday on Jam Hands!

It's no secret that I love using vegetables as fake starches.  One of my favorites is zucchini noodles or zoodles.  I saw a recipe on Pinterest for a pasta dish that looked amazing.  So I had to recreate it carb-free!  It turned out so good.  I know always I've done something right when halfway through supper David murmurs how good it is while still putting more in his mouth.

Zoodles are extremely easy to make with my handy veggie slicer! I would highly recommend it.  I use it quite often.  It has so many uses!  Now, the best part about the zoodles is that they are extremely filling and mostly water!  It doesn't take much to feel full.

Pesto Zoodles with Shrimp

3 zucchini (spiraled)

1 bag of frozen medium raw shrimp

3 tbsp Classico Basil Pesto

1 tbsp of minced garlic

1 tbsp of olive oil

Salt and pepper

Spiral zucchini and set it aside.

Heat up oil, garlic and salt in skillet.

Add zucchini and pesto.  Toss and stir until zoodles are warm and soft (like noodles).  Usually takes about 10 minutes.  In the last few minutes, boil shrimp for 3-4 minutes.

Once the zucchini has cooked, drain it before plating it. (A lot of moisture will come out of the zucchini while it cooks.)

Plate noodles and add shrimp to the top.  Or if you like, throw the shrimp in the skillet and toss them around first!

ENJOY!

zucchini fettuccine with chicken

This weekend I am dog sitting our family dog, Charley.  Her and Hazel have spent some time around each other this summer, but today was out of the ordinary... they have not fought at all.

They haven't even wanted to play.  Just sleep in different places all over.

Specifically, Charley on the couch and Hazel in Charley's TINY bed. NEXT to hers!

These dogs are just crazy.

However, they gave me the perfect opportunity to play with my new gadget in the kitchen!  Last week I ordered a Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Vegetable. And it is AWESOME!

I had been eyeing a few different recipes on Pinterest and then created something by putting a few of them together.  I was nervous, but it got the hubs nod of approval tonight as he ate it all up!

My veggie spiral makes three different blades.  Two blades make spaghetti noodles in different sizes and the third slices thinly.  I began by slicing up all my noodles.  If you didn't have a veggie spiral you could just cut noodles.  My zucchini spaghetti was beautiful!

I used a recipe for cauliflower alfredo sauce that I found on Pinch of Yum, with a few adjustments, to throw together a low-carb version of fettuccine.  There is one thing you should know about me if I've never mentioned it before...

I LOVE PASTA.

It might be my Italian side, but I love it in all forms.

Unfortunately, I can't have it :( :( :( So when the possibility of a yummy substitute started floating around in my mind, it was all I could think about.  So without further ado, here it is!

Zucchini Fettuccine with Chicken

For the zucchini pasta:

4 zucchinis

1 tbsp butter

1/2 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp EVOO

For the cauliflower sauce:

1 head of cauliflower

2/3 cup milk

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

6 cups of vegetable broth or water

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp minced garlic

Parmesan to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 and baked a couple pieces of chicken to shred for the fettuccine.  I just sprinkle some garlic powder and seasoned salt on them to taste.

Spiral zucchini and press all water out.  Set aside.

Cut of cauliflower into florets and boil in vegetable broth for 10 minutes or until soft.  While the cauliflower is boiling, melt butter and garlic in a skillet.  Once cauliflower is soft, put it into your food processor.  Add 1 1/2 cups of the broth it boiled in, milk, salt, pepper, butter and garlic, and parmesan.  Blend until smooth.  I used more milk and broth than the original recipe called for to make it more sauce-like.

I then heat up the butter, garlic and EVOO for the zucchini noodles.  After the butter is melted, I put the  noodles in and toss them around for about 7-8 minutes.  

I plated the noodles, topped them with sauce and chicken.  It was truly amazing.  

Seriously, we gobbled it right up and it was so easy to make!

I hope you enjoy! And let me know what you think!

Courtney